Burger Counter Girl
by take the mic. sing to me
Summary: Couldn’t hurt anything, right? She took a deep breath and lifted her chin slowly, finding her brown eyes looking into a familiar pair of blue ones.


**Author's Note**: I don't own anything but my mind. Not Burger King, either, even though I love mozzarella sticks and frozen Cokes. Oneshot unless lots of people love this and I miraculously am able to continue it. And, I'm warning you… you'll hate me for how I end it. I needed a little break from _Now You're Here_, since the plot is slow-moving but cute and fluffeh.

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Gabriella Montez wiped a hand across her forehead, moist with the perspiration from working in Burger King all day. Even though she was the cashier, working in a fast food joint after college hours wasn't exactly something she looked forward to when she woke up in the morning. She took a hair tie from her wrist and tied her straightened, brownish-black hair in a messy, yet presentable, ponytail. The customers coming in at this time were mainly just kids and their moms after a long day of soccer practice, so she took this time to take a quick break, treating herself to a frozen Coke, swearing to herself that she would take that out of her paycheck once she got it. She leaned against the counter, her good-luck trucker hat pulled low over her forehead so it covered her eyes.

After they had graduated from high school, Gabriella had lost all contact with her East High friends. She was still a shy girl by nature, and didn't even confide in her only friend and roommate, Frances "Frankie" Johnson. Her grades had skyrocketed as much as was humanly possible, and although she appreciated her mother's confidence in her that she would become a summa cum laude, she could do without the pressure, thank you very much. After she and her mother had moved, her life seemed to change drastically, but not exactly in a bad way.

Why had she lost contact with her first real friends in the first place? She'd never be sure… but all she knew was that if she called now, her friends had every single right to just hang up on her. Still, she was certain that there was one person she particularly missed—and that was Troy. Everything about him—his voice, his hair, eyes, and his breathtaking smile—was still vivid in her memory. Whenever she had a spare moment, she found herself inadvertently thinking about him. _What does he look like now? Where is he? What college does he go to? Did he even send in applications? How is his family? Is he still the same? Does he think about me? Does he have a girlfriend? Is he married?_

And this is what Gabriella thought about during her little self-given break. She sipped her frozen Coke thoughtfully, her trucker hat still pulled over her eyes, casting a cooling shadow over most of her face. She heard a bell, signaling the entrance of a new customer. She reluctantly put her beverage on the counter and tried to sound upbeat. "Hello, welcome to Burger King. May I please take your order?"

"Uh… the usual." A crisp, male, mature-sounding voice said.

"I'm sorry, sir…but I'm sort of new here. I'm not familiar with your 'usual.'" Gabriella drummed her fingers on the countertop, a bad habit she had developed while working, when customers were indecisive about their orders. She peered up at the stranger, making sure that her hat was still pulled low over her eyes. The last thing she wanted was someone from school finding out she was a burger-counter-girl. Nothing was wrong with it… it just wasn't the world's coolest "hang out," was all. And a select few of her peers cared, so why create turmoil like she had in East High? All she wanted was to get out of college debt-free and alive. Was that too much to ask?

"Um… chicken nuggets and mozzarella sticks from the value menu…" A playful smile played on the stranger's lips, "and a frozen Coke. I see we have similar tastes."

Gabriella rolled her eyes at the comment. He was about the fifth guy to use that line on her. "Coming right up," she said simply, whirling around. She lost her balance for a moment, and her hat fell off. The customer looked on in amusement but said nothing. Gabriella muttered something inaudible as she got his order. "Here you go," she plastered on a smile, even though she was tired. Did she dare to look up at him? She could feel his eyes boring into her. Couldn't hurt anything, right? She took a deep breath and lifted her chin slowly, finding her brown eyes looking into a familiar pair of blue ones.

The blue-eyed guy was just as stunned as she was. "G-gabriella?" he squeaked timidly.

She nodded, still dumbstruck.

"Where on earth have you been this whole time?"

Gabriella gave a nervous laugh. "Here. Working my butt off."

"As far as I can see, your butt is still attached to your body, and neither is in bad shape." Troy laughed, "turning the charm on."

"Still the player, huh, Bolton?" Gabriella checked quickly to see if there was a line behind him, and maybe fate was on her side for once, since there wasn't.

"Actually, you should be proud of me. The answer is no, and you can ask Chad if you need any reassurance." Troy leaned against the counter, too.

"Right. Like I should trust _Chad's_ judgment." Gabriella giggled teasingly.

"I presume you're as smart as ever?" Troy asked casually. "Broken any hearts lately?"

"Not that I know of."

"It's about time you've known." Troy quickly looked away.

"W-what are you talking about?"

After a pause, he finally turned to look her in the eye. His own blue ones were moist and filled with what must have been renewed pain, hurt, and sheer heartache. "How do you think I felt when you just disappeared out of my life? You never even bothered to call, email, or even text me. It's like you had died, except it was worse—we knew you were alive but obviously didn't think we were important enough to even contact."

Gabriella felt a lump growing in her throat, and her own eyes were watering. She stepped away from the counter, picked up her hat and frozen Coke, and walked to an empty table. Troy followed her like a reluctant puppy, his hands stuck into his dark denim pockets.

"I'm so sorry."

Troy rolled his eyes a little. _I guess I probably deserved that._

"I just… I didn't think that I'd be missed that much. And my life's just been so weird lately that I guessed that nobody wanted to be in it. But I missed you guys… you in particular." Gabriella got a little hopeful when she saw Troy lift his head to look at her again. "I missed you," she plunged on, "so much. I found myself thinking about you all the time…"

"Then why didn't you bother to call?"

"I was… scared. Scared that you might have another girlfriend, be engaged, or married. Scared of what I'd find. Scared of having to face you… which is kind of stupid, considering that I'm doing that right now." Gabriella set her trucker hat on the table and rested her chin in the palm of her hand.

"Yeah, well… it was stupid," Troy agreed. After a long pause, he added, "So… are you seeing anyone right now?" He cleared his throat in discomfort.

"Nah… I mean, right now I'm just focusing on my grades, keeping my job, and staying in school," Gabriella joked, thankful that the conversation was now being continued on a lighter note.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea."

"You?"

"The same. The last girlfriend I've had is… you." Troy's voice deepened again, a sign that he was getting serious. "I'm guessing you don't consider me your boyfriend anymore."

"I wish I still could."

"Really?"

"Yeah… but that's all in the past now, right?" Gabriella faked a smile again. Troy knew her too well.

He lifted her chin and stroked her cheek with the pad of his thumb. Gabriella felt an electrifying satisfaction rush through her—something that she could only feel with him. "We don't have to stay in the past," he whispered soothingly, although he wasn't entirely sure what that meant. He just hoped that she did, and that it meant what he hoped it did.

Gabriella laughed softly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that there can still be an 'us' right now… Gabriella, I still love you."

Gabriella's eyes widened instantly. Had she just heard college-boy Troy Bolton, East High Wildcat superstar, freaky callback boy, just vocalize the words that she had been waiting to hear ever since she had last seen him? Was this just some sort of cruel dream?

"What did you just say?" _I ask a lot of stupid questions._

"I still love you," Troy repeated without hesitation.

"I still love you, too."

"You think it's still too early in our blossoming relationship to give you a kiss?" Troy laughed.

"Nah," Gabriella laughed with him as they leaned across the table, entwining their fingers. His lips felt soft and tender against hers, and although she was fully aware of how hot and sweaty she was (not to mention the fact that she probably smelled like French fries and tasted like Coke), she knew that Troy wouldn't care. Troy wasn't like that.

She tightened her grip on his hand and moved a seat closer to him, so they were in the same booth. Luckily, Burger King was pretty much deserted and the employees were treating themselves to self-given breaks, as well. Troy noticed her move and shook his head, chuckling. "_I'm_ the player, huh, Montez?"

"You're the only one who can get away with calling me that." Gabriella stuck her tongue out. "And it's only because we have… well, a lot of _catching up_ to do." Her eyes sparkled mysteriously.

"Don't kill me with anticipation!" Troy begged as he tickled her sides.

"Oh, no worries, Bolton… you'll find out sooner or later."

_Maybe being "burger-counter-girl" has its perks, after all, _Gabriella smiled to herself as Troy chased her around the building.

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**A/N**: I know that wasn't a very good ending, but it gives you some allowance for imagination!

♥♥♥ --- Christa


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